"You don't want to be so hungry that you eat half your meal while you're preparing it!"

Too Tired to Cook Healthy Dinners

There's no doubt that it can be hard to summon up the energy to cook dinner in the evening.

However, there are ways to make it seem less arduous until it becomes one of your new healthy eating habits that you enjoy as part of your normal routine. Try some of the following tips.

Plan ahead

Set aside some time each week to sit down and plan your dinners for the following seven days. Do this when you're not hungry, and think about your lifestyle goals as you're doing it. (Also think about your lunches and snacks at the same time.)

Then schedule in a regular time for shopping so that you don't leave it to the last minute, when you're more likely to make poor choices.

Cook on weekends

If you know you're going to be working late, exercising in the evening or running around taking the kids to after-school activities, try to do the bulk of your cooking at the weekend and freeze your dinners, ready to be taken out and defrosted.

All you'll need to do is add some salad or chop up some vegetables to accompany them.

Involve your friends

If a lot of your socialising is done in restaurants, invite a friend or two over for dinner a couple of times a week, and get them to give you a hand making dinner.

As well as giving you more say in what goes into your meal, it's a great way to bond and chat, and cooking becomes a social event in itself.

Involve your family

Many kids are budding little MasterChefs and only too happy to help out in the kitchen. Others might need a bit more persuasion.

Some might come to see cooking as an enjoyable way to spend time with one or both of their parents, some might appreciate the valuable skills they're picking up, and some might simply need to learn that there's no such thing as a free dinner!

Make your kitchen pleasant

Is your kitchen somewhere you enjoy being? If not, why not? Take a bit of time to turn it into a place that you're happy to spend time in.

Clear all clutter from surfaces and corners, and make sure the kitchen is no longer a dumping ground for bags, shoes, paperwork and so on - whether these items belong to other people or to you.

"Put appliances and utensils in places that are logical," says Georgie.

"For instance, if you use your blender a lot, put it in a cupboard that's easily accessible and near where it will be used. The same goes for organising your drawers. The items you use the most need to be easily accessible."

Look at the lighting and if it's not right, make it more appealing - use soft side lamps, for example, so you don't need to rely on harsh fluorescent strips or halogen downlights.

Make sure you have an effective task lamp, though, for reading recipes and labels, and to avoid slicing your fingers!

Would buying flowers and placing them in a vase on the kitchen table or counter bring you pleasure? If so, add them to your weekly shopping list.

Change your attitude

You may have been someone who's always seen cooking as a chore, or who only enjoys cooking rich meals, seeing them as your reward at the end of each day.

If that's the case, it's time to change your thinking. Start by appreciating the fact that you live in a place with such a wealth of fresh produce and ingredients for you to cook nutritious meals with.

Remind yourself that the new habits you're forming may take a little while, but that sooner or later they'll become second nature.

Most of all, revel in the fact that what you're doing is the ultimate act of self-care and self-nurturing - your body and health will thank you for it, so learn to consciously thank yourself for it every day as well.

Healthy Eating-Out Options

Restaurants and cafes can seem like a minefield with their tempting arrays of not-so-healthy foods and sauces.

Equally, their portion sizes are often much bigger than we need. Try some of these tips when eating out.

See if the restaurant's menu is available online and choose your meal before you go out.

Choose an entrée-sized dish for your main course and bump it up with a side salad or mixed vegetables.

Ask for dressings and sauces to be served on the side.

Ask for extra vegetables or salad instead of chips.

Apply the 'plate' approach to portion sizes (see above) - set aside any extra and ask for it to be put in a takeaway container.

* Results may vary. Exercise and proper diet are necessary to
achieve and maintain weight loss.

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